BACKGROUND:Self-assessment and peer assessment in nursing education promotes students' metacognition, clinical judgment skills, and communication. However, minimal research has examined the relationship between self-assessment and peer assessment of clinical judgment. METHOD:An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design examined the relationship between self-assessment and peer assessment in simulation among senior undergraduate nursing students (N = 32). Pearson correlation and linear regression assessed score consistency, while qualitative thematic analysis identified factors influencing quantitative results. RESULTS:A small, nonsignificant positive correlation was found between self-assessment and peer assessment scores. Three themes emerged from the qualitative data: uncertainty, accountability, and communication. CONCLUSION:Findings indicated a modest alignment between self-assessment and peer assessment of clinical judgment, with uncertainty emerging as a barrier to assessments. Ongoing engagement with these strategies enhances familiarity with assessment processes and supports metacognition, accountability, and team communication, underscoring importance of their integration in nursing curriculum to promote practice readiness.
BACKGROUND:Existing research has shown that graduate students use cognitive enhancers to improve their academic performance. Some of these students have used various forms of cognitive-enhancing substances (CEs). While the literature is replete with studies probing this issue, there is a dearth of information on CEs used by student RN anesthetists (SRNAs). METHOD:This cross-sectional descriptive study, employing survey methodology, assessed the prevalence and perceived side effects of CE use among 421 SRNAs in nurse anesthesia programs in the United States. RESULTS:Of the 421 SRNAs surveyed, 27.3% (n = 115) stated they took a CE while in nurse anesthesia school. Adderall was the most commonly used CE, and 7% of the SRNAs (n = 8/114) reported taking CE without a prescription. CONCLUSION:These results provide a foundation for future research on the development of interventions to reduce SRNAs' CE use by promoting safer coping mechanisms.
BACKGROUND:Nursing students often have limited opportunities to apply social determinants of health (SDOH) concepts to patient experiences and clinical reasoning. This study evaluated a facilitated, game-based learning intervention to reinforce person-centered, socially responsive care. METHOD:A mixed-methods pretest-posttest design was used with junior-level undergraduate nursing students at a public university. Students participated in a structured board game during class. Matched pre/post surveys (n = 47) were analyzed using paired-samples t-tests, and open-ended reflections underwent content analysis. RESULTS:Significant improvements were found in endorsement of socioeconomic considerations in health care delivery (p = .020) and incorporating patient priorities into care plans (p = .026). Qualitative themes reflected increased awareness of SDOH, holistic thinking, engagement, and critical reflection. CONCLUSION:A brief, facilitated game-based intervention may strengthen application of SDOH concepts within person-centered care. Findings support continued refinement and further study with larger, multi-site, and longitudinal designs.
BACKGROUND:Preparing nurse practitioner (NP) students and residents for rural and underserved practice requires pedagogies that address inequity, uncertainty, and constrained systems. METHOD:This conceptual article develops an emancipatory pedagogical framework informed by patterns of knowing, living curriculum, emancipatory knowing, and transformative learning, using a linked traineeship-residency as an illustrative case. RESULTS:The framework identifies transferable learning goals, curricular design elements, and faculty practices that support dialogic reflection, critical questioning, psychological safety, and reflection-to-action across educational settings. CONCLUSION:This framework offers NP educators a practical approach for strengthening professional agency, justice-oriented practice, and transition-to-practice readiness in rural and underserved contexts.
BACKGROUND:Nursing education faces faculty shortages and debates about the most suitable doctoral degrees for nurse educators. Divergent viewpoints about nursing-specific and non-nursing doctoral degrees influence faculty career progression and perceptions of teaching effectiveness. METHOD:Thirty-eight doctorally-prepared nurse educators employed in nursing programs across the United States ranked 37 statements about doctoral degree types in this Q-methodology study. Factor interpretation was based on principal component analysis and open-ended responses. RESULTS:Four distinct viewpoints emerged, accounting for 50% of the variance: Doctoral Degree Egalitarians, PhD Research Advocates, Nursing Degree Idealists, and Degree Hierarchists. The doctoral degree participants held differentiated their viewpoints. Years of experience, professional role, and geographic region did not emerge as differentiators. CONCLUSION:Degree holders advocate for their own degrees, possibly reflecting lived experiences and socialization during doctoral education. Institutions can address divergent viewpoints on degree types by implementing role-based evaluation criteria and transparent policies valuing diverse academic preparation.
BACKGROUND:Advance care planning (ACP) is central to holistic, patient-centered care, yet ACP conversations are emotionally sensitive and often avoided. Caring Science may foster an environment of loving-kindness that supports comfort and engagement while giving nursing students practice in facilitating end-of-life discussions. METHOD:Graduate nursing students facilitated Caring Science-guided ACP sessions using Five Wishes. Community adults (N = 83) completed a postsession survey measuring perception of loving-kindness, understanding of advance directives and end-of-life care, ACP status, and interest in completing Five Wishes. RESULTS:95.8% of respondents perceived loving-kindness. Participants with shared wishes reported higher confidence that they would be followed (96.6%) than those without (52.6%). Interest in completing Five Wishes was higher among those not confident (45.5%) than those confident (37.3%). CONCLUSION:A Caring Science-guided, student-led ACP session was associated with high perceived loving-kindness, with responses suggesting ACP status may relate to confidence in wishes being followed.
BACKGROUND:Electronic health records (EHRs) are central to modern health care, yet many nursing graduates feel underprepared to use them. METHOD:To close the competency gap, nursing faculty partnered with Epic Systems to develop EpicEdu, a novel academic EHR that authentically simulates all of the features of the EPIC EHR system in practice settings. RESULTS:A total of 239 nursing and 88 nurse practitioner students completed EpicEDU simulations. Of those, 54.1% strongly agreed that using EpicEDU in simulation enhanced the realism of the simulation, 43.1% strongly agreed that they felt better prepared for clinical practice after using EpicEDU, and 42.2% strongly agreed that the use of EpicEDU in simulation can improve patient safety outcomes. CONCLUSION:The academic-industry partnership is a successful model for designing academic EHRs that closely mimic the electronic health records in clinical practice to support development of core technology competencies for future nurses.
BACKGROUND:Persistent gaps in faculty capacity hinder the integration of genomics into nursing curricula, highlighting the need for strengthened faculty development. METHOD:The NIH-funded R25 "Translation and Integration of Genomics is Essential to Doctoral Nursing" (TIGER) program is designed to strengthen genomic literacy among nursing faculty. Grounded in adult learning theory, TIGER incorporates SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goal development as a pedagogical strategy. Midway through the program, participants engage with faculty and peers to review progress, share implementation approaches, and address barriers. RESULTS:Participants (N = 62) developed SMART goals spanning genomic education, research, and practice. ChatGPT-assisted analysis of TIGER 2022 to 2024 goals identified key themes, including strengthening personal genomic knowledge, conducting curriculum mapping, integrating genomics into courses, and advancing genomics-focused scholarship. CONCLUSION:Adult learning theory fosters relevant, empowering learning, while SMART goals offer a structured, actionable pathway for nursing faculty to achieve sustainable genomic integration in curricula.
BACKGROUND:Peer-assisted learning (PAL) has attained increasing recognition as a student-centered teaching strategy. The aim of this review was to summarize the data on how PAL interventions affect the clinical skills and knowledge acquisition of undergraduate nursing students, while also investigating secondary outcomes, including leadership competency, teamwork, and self-confidence. METHOD:In accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, this systematic review identified studies published between January 2015 and October 2025. Eligible studies evaluated the effects of PAL on undergraduate nursing students using experimental or quasi-experimental designs. RESULTS:A total of 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. PAL interventions consistently improved knowledge acquisition, clinical and psychomotor skills, self-efficacy, teamwork, and leadership behaviors across various clinical settings. Randomized controlled trials reported medium-to-large effect sizes for psychomotor skill performance (p < .001) and self-efficacy (p < .01). CONCLUSION:The results support the inclusion of structured PAL models in nursing programs, encouraging hands-on learning, teamwork, and leadership development.
BACKGROUND:Quality measures influence patient outcomes, yet related education is not standardized in undergraduate nursing programs. This study examined how accredited programs teach quality measure content and the cognitive rigor of instruction. METHOD:A three-phase, descriptive study included development and validation of the Quality Education and Standards Training-Preparing for Quality Measure Performance (QUEST-PQMP) instrument, followed by national deployment to 1,830 programs. RESULTS:Of the 175 responses, 75 reported a dedicated curriculum and 57 completed the QUEST-PQMP (Cronbach's α = .92). Programs reporting greater perceived student preparedness had higher QUEST-PQMP scores, though instruction emphasized lower-order rather than higher-order cognition. Limited curricular time and faculty expertise were common barriers. CONCLUSION:Undergraduate nursing curricula vary widely in quality measure content. Integrating this topic with intentional cognitive rigor and faculty development may strengthen graduates' readiness for data-informed, quality-driven nursing practice.
BACKGROUND:Virtual gaming simulation (VGS) is increasingly used in nursing education; however, limited research has examined the effect of enhanced gaming elements on student outcomes. METHOD:A randomized controlled experimental design with pre- and posttests was used to evaluate VGS enhanced with storylines, sound effects, and progress bars. Undergraduate nursing students were randomly assigned to either an enhanced VGS group or a traditional branching VGS group. Outcomes included knowledge retention, enjoyment, satisfaction, and self-confidence. RESULTS:Students in the enhanced VGS group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in knowledge scores and significantly higher satisfaction and self-confidence scores compared with the control group. No significant differences were found in overall enjoyment scores; however, the enhanced group reported significantly higher Challenge/Improvement subscale scores. CONCLUSION:Enhanced gaming elements within VGS may improve knowledge retention, satisfaction, and confidence in undergraduate nursing students while promoting a more challenging and engaging learning experience.
BACKGROUND:Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly available to faculty and students, yet adoption remains uneven. Faculty report uncertainty about capabilities, limitations, and ethical boundaries, and lack time for integration, while institutions grapple with policy, privacy, and equity concerns. The purpose of this article is to provide a concise, nursing faculty-centered AI development checklist for responsible AI integration in teaching and assessment. METHOD:AI implementation guidance was synthesized into a five-step checklist for faculty AI competency development. RESULTS:The checklist converts exploratory evidence into a logical faculty development plan, emphasizing practical steps that reduce cognitive load, standardize expectations, and support equitable access to enable rapid adoption and consistent implementation for individuals, programs, and institutions. CONCLUSION:With a concise evidence-based checklist, nurses can achieve the benefits of AI while advancing equity and preserving the human-centered core of the nursing profession. This checklist simplifies steps for understanding new technologies, adds to research on competencies, and improves instructional efficiency.
BACKGROUND:Standards for competency-based nursing education should clearly define the psychomotor skills expected of entry-level RNs. Feedback from academic and clinical nursing experts was crucial to identify the skills to be taught and evaluated. METHOD:A modified Delphi method was employed using nonprobability, snowball sampling. Educators from academic and clinical settings were recruited. Participants were asked to rate each psychomotor skill as essential or not essential to establish consensus on the skills to teach, the preferred instructional strategies, and need for evaluation of competence of the skills meeting consensus. RESULTS:Findings provide consensus from academic and clinical nursing experts on the essential psychomotor skills, and the associated instructional strategies and psychomotor skills requiring evaluations to ensure competence and ensure nursing workforce readiness. CONCLUSION:This study offers guidance for nursing educators on the psychomotor skills to teach and assess to prepare generalist nurses to enter the workforce across any health care setting.
BACKGROUND:Although simulation is well established for procedural and acute care skills, mental health nursing simulation focused on the therapeutic use of self remains underrepresented in the literature. This article describes the design, implementation, and educational contribution of three theory-informed mental health nursing simulations developed to support competency-based psychiatric nursing education. METHOD:Guided by Peplau's interpersonal relations theory, three simulations were developed addressing motivational interviewing for alcohol use disorder, trauma-informed care for intimate partner violence, and mindfulness-based support for patients in crisis. Faculty-led debriefing was used to promote reflection and integration of relational concepts. RESULTS:Use of Peplau's framework provided a structured approach for learners to practice therapeutic communication, emotional presence, professional boundaries, and patient-centered engagement. CONCLUSION:Theory-guided psychiatric simulation provides a replicable approach for integrating nursing theory into simulation and strengthening relational competencies in nursing education, addressing a gap in strategies for teaching the therapeutic use of self.
BACKGROUND:Nursing education requires integrating technology, clinical reasoning, and compassionate care. As artificial intelligence (AI) utilization expands, its role in shaping compassionate care in nursing education remains unclear. This study examined AI utilization and clinical judgment as predictors of caring behavior among nursing students. METHOD:This cross-sectional study involved 395 undergraduate nursing students, selected conveniently from higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines. Validated instruments were used in measuring perceived AI utilization, clinical judgment, and caring behavior. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's r, and hierarchical regression. RESULTS:Moderate levels of perceived AI utilization and high levels of clinical judgment and caring behavior were observed. Perceived AI utilization and clinical judgment capability were significantly, positively associated and were significant predictors of caring behavior, with the model explaining 23.9% of the variance. CONCLUSION:Integrating AI-supported learning with strategies that enhance clinical judgment may strengthen both technological competence and compassionate care among nursing students.
BACKGROUND:Wound care is a critical competency for prelicensure nursing students, yet opportunities for authentic, hands-on practice contribute to students' limited exposure and decreased confidence in wound assessments and management. METHOD:Following INACSL Standards, students constructed hyper-realistic wounds using low-cost everyday materials. Students then rotated though peer-created stations to perform assessments, determine wound staging, and develop care strategies. Faculty-led debriefing concluded the sessions, focusing on AACN Essentials and clinical judgment. RESULTS:Statistical analysis (N = 113) revealed significant gains from pretest (M = 59.7) to posttest (M = 80.6; p < .001). A large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.59) indicated substantial improvements in student knowledge and confidence. Qualitative themes included high engagement, improved theoretical application, and increased assessment confidence. CONCLUSION:This innovative activity effectively bridges the educational gap in wound care. By demonstrating measurable gains though a framework aligned with national standards, this scalable, low-cost strategy offers a validated model for nursing programs to cultivate clinical judgment in the classroom.
BACKGROUND:Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects 36% to 50% across all backgrounds, yet only 30% of graduate programs offer IPV training. This interprofessional simulation aimed to improve Doctor of Nursing Practice-Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP) students' knowledge, attitudes, and skills in IPV identification and management while promoting collaboration with police, social workers, and advocates. METHOD:Twenty-two DNP-FNP students completed pre- and postintervention Physician Readiness to Manage Intimate Partner Violence Surveys (PREMIS). The four-station high-fidelity simulation included patient interview, physical examination (revealing moulage bruise), assessment, and reporting, followed by debriefing and Danger Assessment training and reflective assignments. RESULTS:Students reported high satisfaction (4.7 to 4.8 on a 5-point scale). Perceived preparation and knowledge improved greatly (p = .0000); actual knowledge increased from 78.4% to 82.8%. CONCLUSION:The simulation greatly enhanced readiness to address IPV, supporting expansion to more than 275 participants and potential improvements in identification, interprofessional collaboration, and victim outcomes.
BACKGROUND:As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly transforms health care delivery, nursing education must prepare students to engage with this technology in ethically responsible and human-centered ways. This study explored nursing students' ethical perspectives on AI and their concerns regarding its future integration into nursing practice. METHOD:An exploratory qualitative study was conducted with fourth-year nursing students (n = 18) selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS:Five main themes emerged: (1) functional contributions of AI to learning and clinical processes; (2) perceived clinical risks; (3) human-centered and holistic care; (4) ethics of care principles and ethical risks; and (5) inequality and justice in health care. CONCLUSION:Students expressed a balanced and cautious perspective, recognizing the potential benefits of AI while emphasizing the preservation of professional judgment, ethical responsibility, and human-centered care in nursing education and practice.
BACKGROUND:Medication-related harm in older adults often reflects cumulative system vulnerabilities rather than isolated prescribing errors. Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs emphasize systems-based practice; however, strategies integrating specialty expertise with shared accountability remain limited. METHOD:A cross-track unfolding case was implemented during a required 2-day DNP immersion at a large academic institution. Advanced practice and systems leadership learners engaged sequential phases of a longitudinal medication-related harm case across out-patient and acute contexts. Evaluation data included Likert-scale ratings and open-ended comments. RESULTS:Ninety-seven learners completed the evaluation. Ratings were high for organization (M = 6.03), engagement (M = 6.02), and understanding of the DNP role (M = 5.94). The unfolding case received a mean session rating of 3.75 (5-point scale). Open-ended comments reflected appreciation for cross-track integration. CONCLUSION:A cross-track unfolding case may offer a practical strategy for integrating clinical reasoning and systems accountability in DNP education.
